While waiting for a train, I finally had time to look around the recently-opened new concourse at Epping Station, which is which is currently being upgraded.

It’s nice, spacious and very modern-looking, using plenty of glass of course. For a template mass-produced station design, I think you can do worse than what the is being rolled out across the CityRail network.

I took some photos of the next train indicators on the concourse, including one which is currently unused. I imagine it will will eventually show trains running via the Epping to Chatswood Rail Line.

Also have a look at the close-up of the stopping pattern diagram for “City via Strathfield” services. Notice where it says trains continue to after travelling past North Sydney? Under the taped-over bit is “& Macquarie Park”.

That’s consistent with speculation that once the Epping to Chatswood Rail Line opens, at least some Northern Line trains will travel to/from City via either the ECRL or Strathfield and then continue back to Hornsby via the other path in a loop.

That’s pretty fucking cool… can you imagine travelling just under 160 m every second? This smashes the previous record of 515.3 km/h set by an earlier TGV set in 1990, and they even came somewhat close to the ultimate rail speed record of 581 km/h set by the Japanese experimental MLX01 maglev train. Maglev is very cool technology too, but I still think conventional rail wins out on sheer excitement factor when you’re thinking about hurtling along at those speeds that close to the ground hoping you don’t come off the rails!

The TGV used to be the train system I loved as a kid and always went on about, despite the fact that I have never been to France. Having said that though, since my Japan trip I fell in love with the Shinkansen even more, with it’s incredible punctuality and otherwise sheer perfectness. Even Guillaume Peppy, the CEO of SNCF, the French national railway company that runs the TGV, admitted in the latest issue of International Rail Journal that reliability for a TGV Duplex train is still “60 times worse than Shinkansen reliability”!

SNCF will begin services along part of the new LGV Est Européenne linking Paris and Strasbourg in June this year — even if it’s “only” at 320 km/h!

An official video of the record-breaking is now up as well on the official website (see link below). Click the link on the left in the blue circle on the left to watch the video. Trust me, it’s worth your while (just ignore the bad commentary). It’s amazing how bloody fast that looks when it passes bridges and kicks up a cloud of dust behind it!

Watch the video: French Excellence in Very High Speed Rail: Alstom, RFF, SNCF

Well the MTR metro in Hong Kong is going to take it one step further. In between timetabled passenger train services they’re going to be running locomotive-hauled advertising trains through the network!

Artist’s impression of a ‘Spectacular Mobile Showcase’ (source: MTR)

Trains run to small headways on most lines already, so I wonder how they’re going to be able to squeeze these advertising trains into the timetable. But if it is possible, then why not run more passenger trains instead? For much of the day, the network is already too crowded! Granted, these advertising trains (presumably) won’t stop and thus won’t require precious dwell time, but I wonder what commuters are going to think of this seemingly perverse use of network capacity.

These advertising trains will be run with engineering trains that are normally idle during operating hours and will be able to display large 3D objects such as cars. So… they’re going to run spam trains which carry cars around the rail network? The mind boggles!

The press release (PDF) says:

The MTR Corporation is the first to bring to passengers a brand new and innovative form of advertising — the Spectacular Mobile Showcase [...] to enhance passengers’ enjoyment during their MTR journeys.

I’ve always had great respect for the MTR. They run one of the world’s most efficient railway operations, offering value and great customer service. They have a great corporate image too! But this is ridiculous… a “Spectacular Mobile Showcase” to “enhance passengers’ enjoyment”?!?! Now they’re just on crack! (And who comes up with these names, anyway?!)

It’s a train. It’s an ad. It’s an advertising train.

It’s a menace!

Press Release: Innovative 3D advertising to liven up MTR tracks (PDF)

This was first reported yesterday by been_around -too_long on the Australian Transport Discussion Board (AUTB).

Previously, Hillsbus only accepted their own concession cards for which students needed to apply directly to Hillsbus. In addition, they were limited to travel to/from classes only — a right royal pain. It’s also confusing because our university/TAFE concession cards allow us half-fare travel on government-run CityRail and Sydney Buses services seven days a week.

I believe this change has come about because the Ministry of Transport has specified in the new Sydney Metropolitan Bus Service Contracts that the government-issued student concession cards must be accepted for half-fare travel, along with other concession entitlements , to bring private bus companies into line with government bus services. The Westbus Group, which includes Hillsbus, signed new contracts for Region 4 earlier this year.

Stormmm raised this on the AUTB last week and I was about to contact Hillsbus and ask for an explanation.

This ends years of inequity between those living in areas served by private bus services and those living in areas served by Sydney Buses services. In addition, under the old system those aged over 30 were not eligible for concession fares at any time, even if they were full-time students. I’ve always been surprised this has existed as I would’ve thought it was blatant age discrimination. Glad to see this has changed!

No word as to whether this is now in effect on Westbus services too. If anyone uses them, try it out and let me know!

It’s kind of the end of an era… for as long as I’ve lived in Cherrybrook, I’ve wished Sydney Buses would run the buses in my area — and for seven months this dream came true. But don’t they say, all good things must come to an end? It really hit home on Monday night, when I was on the way home on a 620 bus from the City. While waiting to turn onto Pennant Hills Rd exiting the M2, our very friendly driver Paul decided to give a little speech thanking us passengers, saying he would miss us.

This will in fact be the third time we’ve changed bus companies in the past 12 months, with Harris Park Transport handing back their contract to the Ministry of Transport at the end of last year. Hillsbus took over for just over a month, until concerns arose over whether Hillsbus would have enough buses to run school services once the 2005 school year began. The NSW Government took control of the situation and the government-owned State Transit stepped in. They have been running bus services here for the past seven months.

Initially, there were a lot of issues with buses turning up late or not at all, but to an extent this was understandable as Sydney Buses’ Ryde depot had to take on all the former Harris Park routes on extremely short notice. Over the past two months though, the bus service has improved significantly in reliability.

There are a few things we’ll miss with Sydney Buses pulling out. We’ve now all come to appreciate the convenience and cheaper fares that come with using TravelTens (these prepaid 10-ride bus tickets have made coins redundant for most of us) and patronage has very noticeably risen on the 620 Dural/Cherrybrook to City service — it’s a shame we’ll have to go back to either cash fares or weekly tickets with Hillsbus. (Only Sydney Buses offers these, none of the private bus operators in Sydney do.) Not to mention, I’ll have to go through all the trouble of getting a private bus operator concession card with Hillsbus again…

Overall, I think it’s fair to say the staff at Ryde depot, along with drivers from other depots who also stepped in to help during this period, deserve a big thank you for a job well done! I’ll certainly miss you guys!

I stepped out not long ago to take a few photos of the last City-bound 620 to run through Cherrybrook being operated by Sydney Buses. These snaps were taken at my bus stop, Appletree Shops.

Gassie M/O 1100 calls at Appletree Shops

Turns out Paul was the driver again

He even wrote a thank you message for his passengers

The 620 heads down Shepherds Dr for the very last time